As oilfields age, the amount of oil produced decreases and the amount of water produced with the oil, increases. This water is usually disposed of or injected back into the formation to maintain reservoir pressure. The separation process is efficient, but not perfect, and a small fraction of oil and other debris can be present after the fluids pass through the separation equipment. That residual fraction of oil in water carryover can cause significant problems as the field ages. Fields can produce as much as 1,000,000 barrels of water each day. The residual oil and other particles such as paraffin, asphaltenes, iron sulfide and biomass can build up in the separation equipment and pipelines. This form of deposit is referred to in the industry as schmoo. If left untreated, this form of deposition can plug lines, which can lead to loss of revenue and/or equipment failure, and further, can result in casualties. Due to lines which cannot be mechanically cleaned, a chemical solution is needed that can be injected into the system to maintain control of the deposition in the lines.
Fluids produced in the oil and gas industry can be quite corrosive to the infrastructure by which it is produced. This internal corrosion of pipelines and production equipment is commonly treated using chemical corrosion inhibitors. Corrosion inhibitors work primarily by forming protective films on the surfaces of the infrastructure. This creates a protective barrier from the corrosive fluids. If the schmoo deposition described above is present on the internal surfaces, it does not allow the dosed corrosion inhibitor to effectively coat and protect the equipment.
What is needed is a means to chemically remove and keep schmoo from depositing on the internal surfaces of production equipment while inhibiting corrosion to help maintain the integrity of the equipment.